Unit:
Time Frame:
3 Weeks
4-5
TEKS (The Student Will…)
Highlight indicates TAKS Objective
US 1(B) apply absolute and relative
chronology through the sequencing of
significant individuals, events, and time
periods.
US 6(D) U.S. responses to Soviet
aggression after World War II, including
the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan,
the North Atlantic Treat Organization,
and the Berlin Airlift.
US 9(B) identify and explain reasons for
changes in political boundaries such as
those resulting from international
conflicts.
Focus
Big Idea
People seek to
defend themselves
when they feel
threatened.
Concepts
Clarify
Main Idea
diplomacy
Cold War
communism
containment
Soviet Aggression
Between 1918 to 1920 communists defeated anti-communists in Russia. In 1922 the communists
created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR or the Soviet Union). European countries
and the United States feared that communist expansion threatened established government;
particularly democracy and freedom (see Red Scare). Following World War II, communists sought
to take over Greece and establish an airbase in Turkey. President Harry S. Truman managed to
persuade Congress that this was a global struggle of freedom over communism. Several policies
of Truman's were directed at containing Soviet (communist) aggression. He believed that the
United States should support "free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed
minorities or by outside pressures." This was the basis of his Truman Doctrine, which guided
American foreign policy for years. Also in 1947 Secretary of State George Marshall proposed an
economic program to contain communism. His Marshall Plan supported economic aid to Europe
and generated increased trade between the United States and European nations. In 1948 Stalin
attempted to eliminate involvement of the west in Berlin and enacted the Berlin blockade. This
prompted the United States to join Canada, Iceland, and nine other Western European nations in
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Each pledged loyalty to the other in case of attack.
•
•
TEKS Clarification
The end of World War II
produced two
superpowers, each with
different agendas, which
created the Cold War and
was “fought” around the
world in many different
ways.
Knowledge and Skills:
•
The student will be able to identify the Cold War era in U.S. history and
summarize its defining characteristics.
US History
4th Six Weeks
Scope and Sequence
Days
Student Outcome
LCISD
Cold War
Students need to be familiar with the events following WWII, including the Truman
Doctrine, the Marshall Plan and the work of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO).
Sequencing events is an important skill, rather than just learning the events. Learning to
tie key leaders with events and dates help with these kinds of questions.
Students should be familiar with domestic reactions to the world events after WWII,
specifically the fear of Communism and Communist sympathizers and later Asian
conflicts related to the fear of the spread of Communism.
Investigate
Unit Questions
Explain that Soviet aggression spiked
after WWII and the U.S. responded
through a series of actions, treaties,
and demands.
What were the goals
of the Marshall Plan
and did these
succeed?
Explain that after WWII, Europe’s
political map changed drastically with
a free Western Europe and a
Communist Eastern Europe.
How was the Cold
War a conflict
between different
philosophical, political
and economic
systems?
Vocabulary
Iron Curtain
China, 1949
Mao
Truman Doctrine
Containment
Marshall Plan
Berlin Airlift
NATO
Cold War
Aggression
Communism
Arms Race
Brinksmanship
Nikita Khrushchev
Cuban Missile Crisis
Fidel Castro
Sample TAKS Questions
Which was not a policy used after WWII to halt Soviet aggression and expansion?
A
Marshall Plan
C
Truman Doctrine
B
North Atlantic Treaty
D*
Open Door Policy
One reason for the formation of NATO after World War II was to __.
A
rebuild Japan after the destruction of Tokyo
B
fund oil pipelines across Europe to the Soviet Union
C
continue the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary
D* defend Western Europe against attack by the Soviet Union
Don’t be afraid to . . . read every book, as long as any document does not offend our own
ideas of decency. That should be the only censorship. How will we defeat communism unless
we know what it is, what it teaches, and why does it have such an appeal for men, why are so
many people swearing allegiance to it?
— President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Speech at Dartmouth College, 1953
In the excerpt above, President Eisenhower was responding to Senator Joseph McCarthy’s
public attempts to
A promote religious tolerance
B* limit free speech
C increase U.S. literacy rates
D restrict conservative political influence
Page 26
From World War II to the Cold War Grades 9-12
Introduction
This lesson is intended for students who have already discussed, at least briefly, the events in
Europe that brought World War II to an end and the beginnings of the Cold War. Students
will examine maps of Europe during this time period and explain what the maps tell them
about the events that occurred.
Time Frame: 1 class period
Objectives and Standards
Students will:
Draw maps of Europe during World War II and the Cold War.
List five things that each map tells them about Europe during that time period.
Write a paragraph or two describing the events that occurred between the time
periods depicted in the two maps.
TEKS:
US 1B- The student will apply absolute and relative chronology through the
sequencing of events, individuals, and time periods.
US 6D- The student will analyze US responses to Soviet aggression after WWII.
US 9B- The student will identify and explain reasons for changes in political
boundaries such as those resulting from international conflicts.
National Social Studies Standards:
2: Time, Continuity, and Change: Social studies programs should include
experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and
over time.
3: People, Places, and Environments: Social studies programs should include
experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments.
National Geography Standards:
1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to
acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
13: How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division
and control or Earth's surface.
17: How to apply geography to interpret the past.
Maps and Materials Needed
Materials Needed:
•
Europe Outline Map:
http://www.maps101.com/Application/Catalog/Product.aspx?cid=96&pid=14 13
(two for each student; download and print the PDF file)
Colored pencils
The following maps may either be printed (from the PDF files) and distributed to
students (one map per group), or they may be viewed online:
World War II (European Theater)
•
http://www.maps101.com/Application/Catalog/Product.aspx?cid=30&pid=67 3
Cold War Europe
http://www.maps101.com/Application/Catalog/Product.aspx?cid=30&pid=67 6
Procedure
1
Ask students to think about what they've learned so far in their studies about the
changes that took place in Europe between World War II and the Cold War. How did World
War II end, and what happened to the countries of Europe at that time? They don't have to
have a big discussion about this right now, because they're going to look at some maps that
will answer these questions.
2
If you wish, divide the class into small groups or pairs. Students can also do this
activity individually.
3
Give each student two Europe Outline Maps
(http://www.maps101.com/Application/Catalog/Product.aspx?cid=96&pid=1 413).
4
Have students look at the maps of World War II (European Theater)
(http://www.maps101.com/Application/Catalog/Product.aspx?cid=30&pid=6 73) and
Cold War Europe
(http://www.maps101.com/Application/Catalog/Product.aspx?cid=30&pid=6 76).
You can print and distribute these maps to the class, or students can view the maps
online.
1
Ask students to use colored pencils to draw the same divisions that they see on the
historical maps onto their outline maps. They should be sure to label the maps "World War
II" and "Cold War" so that they don't get confused. Tell them not to worry about drawing the
arrows shown on the World War II map but rather to copy the colors showing the political
divisions. They should also draw keys showing what the colors stand for.
2
Have students list on their handouts five things that each map tells them about that
time period in Europe.
3
Have each student write a paragraph or two describing the events that took place to
get from the first (World War II) to the second (Cold War) map. They should use information
from their textbooks or class notes to remind them of these events.
Assessment Suggestions
Check to make sure that students have:
Accurately copied the information from the historical maps onto the outline maps, and
followed directions carefully.
Listed five reasonable observations from each map.
Written coherent and accurate paragraphs describing the events between the time
periods depicted in the two maps.
Extension
Have students add to their maps specific places that were significant to the end of World
War II in Europe and the beginnings of the Cold War. They can decide which places to map
by looking at their textbook, class notes, or other resources.
Student Handout
1
Look at the historical maps of Europe during World War II and the Cold War, and
copy the divisions you see on these maps (represented by the different colors) onto your own
outline maps. Don't worry about drawing the arrows shown on the World War II map. Be
sure to label the maps "World War II" and "Cold War." When you're finished drawing,
create a map key on each of your own maps like the ones you see on the historical maps.
2
Examine each map carefully and, in the space below, list five things that each map
tells you about that time period in Europe. World War II:
Cold War:
3. Write a paragraph or two describing the events that took place to get from the first
(World War II) to the second (Cold War) map. Use information from your textbook or
class notes as well as from the maps.
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© NYSTROM Herff Jones Education Division